Buy now or wait?

...

Hey GC
Start the journey today and get yourself a XSI as it is a great camera for the money (I started with a XT years ago and my daughter still takes great pics with it)..
The 7D is a fantastic camera but I don't believe it is a FF camera, for that need a 5D or a 5DMkII.
The thing is coming from a PS and transitioning to a faster camera the XSI will still leave you options like sport mode for fast shots while you learn the basics of photography..
I bought the Girlfriend a XSI when it hit the streets and with the kit 18-55 IS lens it takes great photos.
Good luck
OH BTW once you are bitten with the camera bug it won't matter if you start with the 7D or the XSI as there will always be camera/lens envy

jeptranport wrote in post #10551686
Hey GC
Start the journey today and get yourself a XSI as it is a great camera for the money (I started with a XT years ago and my daughter still takes great pics with it)..
The 7D is a fantastic camera but I don't believe it is a FF camera, for that need a 5D or a 5DMkII.
The thing is coming from a PS and transitioning to a faster camera the XSI will still leave you options like sport mode for fast shots while you learn the basics of photography..
I bought the Girlfriend a XSI when it hit the streets and with the kit 18-55 IS lens it takes great photos.
Good luck
OH BTW once you are bitten with the camera bug it won't matter if you start with the 7D or the XSI as there will always be camera/lens envy

Thanks for the feedback! I haven't been able to buy a camera yet and still have lens envy! I'm constantly drooling over amazing lenses that other photographers have. Most recently tilt/shift lenses have my attention and admiration <drooool> I may not be able to devote a lot of money toward photography...but I do look forward to being able to learn and get a few good photos of my kiddos in the process

What are you going to do? Wait until the kids are grown and moved away? You don't need a 7D. (It's not full frame, BTW). It is way more camera than you need to start out. Nor do you need FF.

Get a good used 40D or a 50D, a couple lenses and a cheap flash. Use these to get some images of your kids while you can. Learn with these tools. If at some later point you still want to upgrade you can.

matonanjin wrote in post #10551876
Get a good used 40D or a 50D, a couple lenses and a cheap flash. Use these to get some images of your kids while you can. Learn with these tools. If at some later point you still want to upgrade you can.

This.

Search craigslist or the buy/sell forums here for a gently used 40D (take advantage of someone who upgraded too quickly and get an awesome camera at a great price!) and pick up a lens that fits your needs.

You can skip the flash and more lenses initially.

Nothing wrong with getting a new XSi with kit lenses. They have some nice bundle packages out there.
Better to capture a picture today than wait and miss out.
My first digital SLR was the XTi which my wife bought for Christmas in '06, followed by the 40D and now the 7D.
All three are still at home. I use the 40D as a back up on location and my XTi is available if my youngest son decides to give photography a shot.
Both have sentimental value as both have been around my neck for many great opportunities.
Go treat yourself today and have a blast.

I agree with most on here.

Two years ago I purchased a cheap Olympus (E410) with two lenses. Total package was about GBP £380. I used that camera loads, and learnt a lot about photography, but I realised I wanted to invest in glass, so I decided to shift to Canon and upgrade my body at the same time.

Sold the Oly for £250 (not much loss over the 2 years, really) and bought a new 50D and a few lenses. Even although I wasn't a total newbie to SLR's, I honestly think I would have been overwhelmed with a 50D straight out of the gate, but my time with the Olympus (i) allowed me to not blow too much much money before making sure this was going to be a lifetime pursuit, and (ii) allowed me time to learn a lot more about taking (DSLR) photos through practice.

I'd say go for it !! Get a rebel and a lens (or two) and get out snapping !!

Then upgrade ONLY WHEN your current package is limiting your photography, not just because someone tells you the latest XYZ model is awesome. The finger presser is what causes great photos, not necessarily the nuts-n-bolts you're holding....

My wife has a 450D/XSi and, it is more camera than she or I 'need'. It takes excellent photographs and is in no way a limiting factor. It has enough auto/semi-auto to help you go from P&S to dSLR, but also has modes that give you more control when you're ready for it. If it were my camera, I'd put a battery grip on it to make it a little more comfortable to handle, but my wife likes it as is.

Canon full-frame dSLR's are 1Ds, and 5D series. To be honest, if you're just coming into it from P&S, I think it will be some time before you'll feel the need to go to FF. In the meantime there is a lot of enjoyment available from the Rebel/xxxD and xxD series bodies.

GymboChickadee wrote in post #10551653
Hi all! I'm currently a "non-functioning P&S" owner, looking to buy a DSLR sometime soon (God willing)
I've only ever taken photos using a P&S...but have truly wanted a DSLR since the 1st, of my 6 kids was born. At this point, money is the biggest thing holding me back from purchasing. I've done quite a bit of research and read plenty of reviews...but still have no idea what to go with. Of course I could get something like the XS or XSi...and get a camera much sooner, or save up for much, MUCH longer and get a full frame camera like the 7D.
I've heard many people say that they felt the need to "upgrade" not long after getting an entry level DSLR...and this is a fear of mine! Will I regret getting an entry level DSLR or will I eventually feel silly for putting so much thought into this decision when really the camera's abilities will far surpass MY photography abilities?
So...keeping in mind that the camera I chose will not be able to be "traded" up in 1-2 years...what would you do? Cheaper, entry level camera soon....OR....expensiv​e full frame camera later?

What's your budget?

Your budget matters quite a lot.

If you're fairly strongly budget limited (less than $1500 total to spend), then get a 20D and the best glass (eventually -- see the next paragraph about the "nifty trio") for it that you can afford. You'll have a camera with really excellent image quality capabilities that you can grow into for quite some time, and a good set of glass that will serve you well even when you upgrade to a newer body later.

If you're not so strongly budget limited then your options expand quite a bit, but because you're brand new to this I'd still be inclined to recommend a 20D to start off with, for the simple reason that bodies evolve and drop in price so much more quickly than glass does, so by the time you're ready for something more capable than the 20D, the capabilities that will be available to you will either significantly exceed what's available right now, or you'll be able to get the current capabilities for quite a lot less money than you'd spend right now. You'll be able to keep your 20D as a backup camera at the point you do upgrade. And you'l have quite a lot left to spend on glass or to save for glass later (remember that you're new at this, so you'll need to first learn what you want out of your glass, and that means you'll want to first buy into some relatively inexpensive but still very good lenses, such as the "nifty trio" of the 18-55 IS, the 55-250 IS, and the 50 f/1.8).


Only if you're not budget limited at all (as in, you can literally afford to throw the money away) would I recommend starting off with anything other than the above. Hard to imagine you're in that situation, but if you are then you are very lucky indeed!

GymboChickadee wrote in post #10551653
Hi all! I'm currently a "non-functioning P&S" owner, looking to buy a DSLR sometime soon (God willing)
I've only ever taken photos using a P&S...but have truly wanted a DSLR since the 1st, of my 6 kids was born. At this point, money is the biggest thing holding me back from purchasing. I've done quite a bit of research and read plenty of reviews...but still have no idea what to go with. Of course I could get something like the XS or XSi...and get a camera much sooner, or save up for much, MUCH longer and get a full frame camera like the 7D.
I've heard many people say that they felt the need to "upgrade" not long after getting an entry level DSLR...and this is a fear of mine! Will I regret getting an entry level DSLR or will I eventually feel silly for putting so much thought into this decision when really the camera's abilities will far surpass MY photography abilities?
So...keeping in mind that the camera I chose will not be able to be "traded" up in 1-2 years...what would you do? Cheaper, entry level camera soon....OR....expensiv​e full frame camera later?

if I was buying now I would consider the new Canon T2i (550D)
http://www.popphoto.co​m …-test-canon-eos-rebel-t2i

Oh BTW here are some shots from an amateur (her) with the XSI and the kit lens..
http://picayou.smugmug​.com …155_FAork#67346​8893_5oCf5

"Canon full-frame dSLR's are 1Ds, and 5D series."

Only the 5D series has full frame.

Geejay wrote in post #10552552
Canon full-frame dSLR's are 1Ds, and 5D series.

This is absolutely correct (though a little better understood without the comma so that it's obvious that both the 1Ds and 5D cameras are parts of two different series cameras ).

glockamole wrote in post #10552826
Only the 5D series has full frame.

This is incorrect. The 1Ds (the "s" is part of the model name and not a plural for 1D) series - out to the "Mark III" version now - was the original Canon "full-frame" DSLR and is still the finest available.

GymboChickadee wrote in post #10551653
will I eventually feel silly for putting so much thought into this decision when really the camera's abilities will far surpass MY photography abilities?

You will. First few months of getting a camera, you'll look at all the better lenses/expensive camera out there and think about things you can do when you get them.

Then you one of the two things (or both) will happen:

1) Start throwing away cash needlessly at buying expensive equipment

2) Realise no matter how much money you throw away, your photos won't get any better unless you concentrate on actually doing "photography". (Instead of collecting cameras/lens.

My advice is get which ever camera/lens you can afford, and start taking photos. Even a cheap 100 dollar 18-55mm kit lens + 300D (or XSi or whatever) is way too capable of producing stunning photos.

First bodies mean nothing without a set of very high priced lenses. i learned this the hard way. All dslrs have full manual control and once you master the controls on the entry level dslr then it is time to move up but since you have no knowledge of the technical part of photography (no offense) you'll just be wasting your money. Time is the most valuable thing to becoming a good photographer, then lenses, then connections/opportunit​ies, then bodies. Bodies are generally only important for shooting high action sports. Please dont be one of those noob parents who owns a 7d and doesnt know how to use it. Learn and take great pics of with an older 300d and with the money you saved on a cheaper used body you can get a fantastic 70-200 or 24-70, or a nice set of primes. And get a flash too, the best investment any photographer can get.